Party time

November 9, 2011

Here’s something I’d like us to think about for a moment. Or two. Not counting his own birth, death and resurrection, what do you think was the greatest miracle performed by Jesus?

Depending on what season of life you are in, your answers may vary. If you have young children, healing the children may be the one that comes to mind. If you are struggling financially it may be the loaves and fishes. If you have had a struggle with depression or mental illness you may have a different response. (Luke 8: 26-39 for example.) The miracles of Jesus speak to us no matter where we are on our life journey.

Are you more impressed with Jesus power over illness and the healing miracles, or is it his power over nature, the calming of the storm, the large catch, the feeding of the 5000 that impress you most today?

This might not seem fair to you, but in my mind the greatest miracle Jesus performed was when he saved me. And since I have this space reserved my vote counts the most. At least here.

The miracles kind fit into the category of power of nature, power over our physical condition (Healing and restoration of our minds and bodies.) and power over death itself. That is where our salvation comes in.

Salvation fits into the third category. So, if you are a believer, let’s stop for just a moment to say, God, thank you for saving me. (and you too, I guess.)

Sometimes I forget to thank God for his salvation. I think it happens when we have been a part of his family for a long time. We tend to take things for granted after a
while, don’t we? It happens in marriages, and it happens in our faith walk. For
example, Diane and I have been married more than thirty-five years, and there
are many things I take for granted. I don’t thank God enough for Diane.

The miracle that Christ worked in us the day that he saved us is power over death. You see when Jesus saves us it is not that he heals our wounds, though he does that. It is not that he can make us good people, though he does that. When Jesus saves us, makes us part of his forever family, comes into our life or heart, or any way you want to put it, when he saves us he takes us from death to life. We move from the land of the dying to the land od the living.

Jesus says in John Chapter 5:24. “I tell you the truth, anyone who hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

The joy that comes to the father of the prodigal son is not that he came to his senses, not that he came home, though both of those events were worth celebrating. But the fathers in this story said. “Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again!” Not a changed life, not a better life, though those of those are fringe benefits. We are celebrating a new life.

My hope for today is that for a time at least we stop taking for granted God’s greatest miracle; that we pause to remember and we pause to say thank you. Then, like the father of the prodigal son we can say, “Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again.”